Olectra-BYD, a leading player in electric public transport system, on Wednesday announced that its eBuzz K9 electric buses have just begun commercial operations under the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TSRTC).

The first lot of five zero-emission electric buses was flagged off in Hyderabad by Ajay Mishra, Additional Chief Secretary, Energy and Arvind Kumar, Principal Secretary, Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MAUD).

These buses are part of a contract for deployment of 40 AC electric buses which TSRTC awarded on Gross Cost Contract basis to Olectra-BYD. The remaining 35 electric buses shall be deployed in due course, the company said in a statement.

The Department of Heavy Industry, under the Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid and Electric vehicles in India (FAME-I) scheme has provided a subsidy of Rs 1 crore for each bus to Telangana.

The 12-meter air-conditioned low floor buses having a capacity of 39+1 seats will ply from different locations in Hyderabad to Hyderabad International Airport. Supported by Kneeling Mechanism, these buses provide convenience to specially-abled and senior citizens while boarding or getting down from the bus.

The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery installed in the bus enables it to travel up to over 250 km in a single charge. It also has regenerative braking system which enables the bus to recover part of the kinetic energy lost in braking. The battery can be fully recharged in 4-5 hours.

"Our buses plying under TSRTC are yet another step in the same direction and we are sure to repeat the success of our electric buses in other states. We are delighted to now offer our state-of-the-art electric buses of international standard to the people of Telangana," said A.N. Naga Satyam, Executive Director - Olectra Greentech Limited.

The company is also running its electric bus eBuzz K7 in Mumbai under Brihan Mumbai Electricity Supply and Transport Undertaking.

Apart from this, the 12-meter variant, eBuzz K9 has successfully completed its trials in Bengaluru, Delhi, Chandigarh, Goa, Rajkot, etc. Olectra's eBuzz K6 was the first 'Make in India' electric bus which was exported to Nepal in June 2018.

Olectra-BYD buses have completed more than 3,00,000 km on Indian roads. These electric buses have reduced CO2 emissions up to 320 tonnes till now, the company said.